At the Oct. 13 study session, city staff outlined the scope and status of an Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) grant the city received from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to remove trees, debris and sediment and to stabilize eroded streambanks at multiple sites across North Augusta.

Staff said the NRCS award (described in the briefing as just under $1,000,000) covers removal of obstructions to waterways and limited bank armoring and sediment removal at prioritized locations. The presentation identified multiple project sites: the Willowwick/Pole Branch Creek area (where damage threatened an active sewer line and an entrance road to an apartment complex); sections of Pretty Run Creek (including parcels that cross private property such as the Catfish Mackie property); the Walnut Lane/Carolina Bay boardwalk wetland area; Water Works Creek and Crystal Lake basin tributaries; and a sediment-removal island at the River Club parcel that has already been addressed.

Staff said engineering designs for the Willowwick site are roughly 90% complete and have been submitted to NRCS for review; final NRCS concurrence is needed before that construction contract can move forward. Because the NRCS grant pays for tree and debris removal in the stream channel, staff emphasized that work will not include large-scale “complete property cleanup” on adjacent private parcels unless removal is necessary to reach the stream. For privately owned parcels, staff said they will seek easements or rights-of-access from property owners before performing work.

The city previously received one EWP award and staff reported they have applied for an additional NRCS grant (application described as $1,300,000) to cover further debris removal. Staff warned that the original grant period calculations were constrained by NRCS timelines; the city requested and received an extension, and staff are coordinating with NRCS on final plans and possible additional time if required. Staff said contractors will be responsible for full removal and disposal of tree material, though in some wooded locations the contract may allow grinding and dispersal in place where it would not create downstream problems.

City staff asked council members to help communicate timelines to residents as individual sites move toward bid and construction; several council members requested advance notices for specific neighborhoods (notably Walnut Lane).